DIVISION I GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL REGIONAL : Newport Harbor Gets on Ball, Beats Millikan in Four Games

Long Beach Millikan gave Newport Harbor a wake-up call Tuesday night in the first round of the Southern California Division I Regional volleyball tournament at Newport Harbor.

Fortunately for the top-seeded Sailors they listened, and came away with a 10-15, 15-5, 15-4, 15-8 victory. They will play host to Rancho Bernardo in the next round.

It looked as if it would be a typical Newport Harbor victory, when Sara Fairborn served an ace to open the match. But from that point on, the Sailors seemed out of control and unable to put any scoring runs together. The Rams took advantage of 11 unforced errors by the Sailors and won, 15-10.

“We obviously didn’t play well in the first game and we started panicking,” Sailor Coach Dan Glenn said. “They wouldn’t believe me when I told them that Millikan was good. After the first game they knew they were good. That’s when we got in our groove.”

After their brief scare, the Sailors got into a rhythm and took control. Trailing, 4-3, in Game 2, Misty May served for three consecutive points to give Newport Harbor a 6-4 lead.

An error by the Rams (16-3) gave the Sailors the sideout and middle blocker Melissa Schutz came up with a block and a huge kill to give Newport Harbor an 8-4 lead. Millikan’s only other point came on a service ace making it 8-5, but the Rams were beginning to look out of sync. From that point on, it was all Newport Harbor.

In Game 3, the Rams played good defense, but were unable to put any scoring drives together, while Schutz had four kills and May sealed the game with a slam into the center of the Ram defenders. May finished with 26 kills and Schutz added 15 from setter Jenny Hecker’s 52 assists.

Millikan came out strong in the final game, taking an early 3-0 lead, but Newport Harbor (30-1) behind the serving of Fairborn and Kelly Liebengood, built a 10-5 lead.

Millikan made a last-ditch effort behind 6-foot-1 Hillary Gunsaulus, who finished with 19 kills, but the Sailor defense stalled them at eight points and Newport Harbor went on to win the match.

In another Division I match:

Bakersfield 3, Laguna Beach 2--Third-seeded Bakersfield won, 15-7, 9-15, 16-14, 13-15, 15-6 and advanced to play Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, a winner in three games over Chatsworth. Laguna Beach ends 16-3.